


Fantasy Fevers and Elven Pillows

by Nesswrites



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: M/M, so this is in the canon verse, taako adopts ango post BOB
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 12:13:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11805789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nesswrites/pseuds/Nesswrites
Summary: Taako finds himself looking forward to their monthly 'family' gatherings a lot more than he likes to admit, but he's hesitant to enjoy it when Angus is acting so fuckin' weird.In other words, Angus is sick and Taako works on being a parent.





	Fantasy Fevers and Elven Pillows

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is the first little one shot in a series of shorter stories I'm doing for general character exploration for TAZ. I'm currently taking requests on my blog for these, ness-writes.tumblr.com ! Also, I've been kind of working on a second part to this but I'm not sure if I'll finish/post it so let me know if you enjoyed it!

“Ango, let’s _go_ , Lup is waiting on us!”

Taako slung a picnic basket over his arm, fixing the collar of his shirt in the mirror. He looked fucking _cute,_ and the almost hour he’d spent doing his makeup seemed to be totally worth it. They were meeting everyone at the park for a picnic, their usual monthly meeting with their ‘family.’ Lup was waiting in the car outside with most of the rest of the food, and Angus was _still_ in his room.

“Put some pep in you step, bubula, can we _go_?” Taako called again, finally hearing the shuffling of feet upstairs. A moment later, Angus was coming downstairs, outfitted in shorts, a button up shirt, and a sweater vest, wearing the very stylish sneakers Taako had gotten him the last time they’d gone shopping.

“S-sorry, Taako! I couldn’t find my wand.” He said sheepishly, wringing his hands in front of him. Taako rolled his eyes and ruffled his hair.

“Don’t apologize to me, pumpkin, apologize to your Aunt Lup.” Taako teased, hiking up the basket and pushing the door open.

Lup, rather dramatically, leaned all the way out of the window. “You boys are _too_ slow, let’s goooo.”

“Sorry, Aunt Lup!” Angus called, jogging over to the car, already slightly breathless. It was sort of unusual for Angus not to have his entire life together, which Taako found a bit strange, but he still seemed in good spirits and was talking animatedly to Lup, so he figured it hadn’t been that important.

Lup grinned and gave Angus a hug leaning over the back seat as Taako climbed in, resting the picnic basket in his lap. “Yuck, you’re all sweaty.” She teased, kissing his forehead. “Been running?”

“Y-yes, I couldn’t find my wand and I had to—“

“No worries, kid, so long as we get this show on the road like, _now_.” She gave Taako a quick side hug before putting the car into drive, veering out of the driveway and down the road. “I think Magnus is bringing stuff to play kick ball, so just know I’m going to _demolish_ you, Ango.”

Taako watched Angus smile from the backseat, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes all the way. The kid had never really been one for sports.

“Well that’s hardly fair, Lulu, kid’s half your size.” Taako said, rolling his eyes.

“But he’s _magic,_ Taako, he can hold his own. Besides, Magnus can be on his team, that’ll definitely give him a heads up, right Angus?”

Angus nodded, smiling again and leaning to rest his head against the window. He looked tired. Maybe he was getting anxious at night again. He’d never been one to bottle anything up, really, but Taako knew he always had some degree of hesitance when it came to sitting down to _talk_ about it.

“You tired, pumpkin?” Taako asked, finally, raising an eyebrow at him as he turned around in his seat to face him.

Angus chuckled, shaking his head. “A little bit, I guess. I must have stayed up too late reading last night.” He admitted, smiling sheepishly. “I’m okay though! I’m just excited to see everyone at the park.”

Taako nodded, vowing to bring it up later, before looking back toward the road.

The rest of the drive was filled mostly with Taako and Lup singing along to the radio and Angus’ tiny giggles from the back seat. They arrived at the park only a few minutes late, and Magnus and Avi met them at the car to help unload the food. Lucretia was out already setting out blankets in the shade of the trees that surrounded the clearing where there were bases already set up for a game of kickball.

Climbing out of the car, Taako barely had a second to breathe before Magnus was enveloping him in a crushing hug. As Taako rolled his eyes, Magnus moved on to follow suit with Lup and then with Ango, putting the kid on his shoulders and carrying him over to the clearing where Lucretia greeted him warmly.

Taako hated to admit how much he enjoyed these stupid, meaningless gatherings, but it was always good to see his friends and old teammates back together after the Bureau of Balance had officially disbanded.

“Taako, it’s wonderful to see you.” Lucretia said as he walked over, smiling at him, Angus already positioned in the shade next to her. “How have things been?”

“Great, great, Lucy. Things with Krav have been going great, Ango McDango here is _killin’_ this magic shit, Lup and I are working on the restaurant. Shit’s going pretty fuckin’ good. How’s about you? How’s that book coming along?”

“It’s going pretty good, I suppose.” Lucretia said, smiling. “I could use a proof reader, if I could borrow your charge sometime next week.” She mused, elbowing Angus.

Angus smiled tiredly up at her, the same strange, half smile he’d been doing all day. “I would love to proof read for you!”

“You heard it.” Taako said, smiling. “Come on and eat before it gets cold!” Taako called as he glanced at his phone, scrolling up to answer a text from Kravitz. He’d be there in a few minutes.

Taako made a plate for himself and one for Angus, handing it over to him and bumping him with his arm as he sat down. “You okay, bubula?” He asked, softly. “We don’t have to stick around if you’re tired, Ango, you know that.”

Angus shook his head quickly, rolling his eyes. “I want to stay! Really! And I want to see Mr. Kravitz. He’s coming, right?” He asked, blinking up at Taako as he, with carefully measured movement, took a bite of a sandwich.

“That he is. Should be here pretty soon.” Taako said, “Just, you let me know if you wanna make a run for it, okay?” Angus nodded earnestly in reply, and Taako sighed tiredly, leaning back on his hands.

Everyone chatted idly while they ate, practically the entire Bureau of Balance staff present, minus Merle, who was traveling with his kids. People complimented Taako and Lup’s cooking and asked questions about the restaurant and about how Angus was doing. Taako didn’t get up from his spot next to Angus until he heard the tell-tale noise of a portal from the astral plane being opened and Kravitz appeared somewhere near the edge of the clearing. Lup and Magnus both waved as Taako hopped up, jogging over to his boyfriend and throwing his arms around his neck. Avi whistled as they kissed, Taako rolling his eyes as he drew back.

“Hello, love.” Kravitz said, smiling. “How’s it going?”

“Hey, handsome. Shh, shh, give me a second to admire you.” He joked, resting a hand with perfectly painted nails on Kravitz’s cheek. “Mmm, nice, nice, very good. It’s going good, Krav. How’s about you?”

“Much better, now.” He smiled earnestly, kissing Taako once more before drawing away and taking his hand instead.

Kravitz had turned up right as everyone was finished eating, joining Taako on one of the picnic blankets as everyone got ready to play kickball in the clearing. Taako had taken up the official title of score-keeper and cheerleader, content to sit in the shade with his boyfriend while everyone chose teams. Lup and Magnus were captains, and just as his sister had predicted, Magnus picked Angus first.

Things got intense quickly, and while Taako chatted idly with Kravitz at the sidelines, he stopped several times to shout, “Fuck ‘em up, Ango!” as he went up to play.

“You’re quite the cheerleader, darling.” Kravitz teased, squeezing Taako’s hand.

“Oh hell yes I am—who else is gonna do it? I’m certainly not gonna sweat my ass off running around in these heels but I still want to be _involved._ ” Taako said, looking up at him and grinning. “Besides, if I’m off playing how am I supposed to be with you?”

“Fair point.” Kravitz chuckled, kissing his forehead. “I like that you cheer for both teams.”

“Of course I cheer for both teams, what kind of loser—“

Taako paused when Lup shouted his name, glancing away from Kravitz and looking around for her. The game had come to a halt, and Magnus, Lup, and Barry were all standing around Angus, who was on the ground.

“Shit.” Taako breathed, pushing to his feet. He ran, actually fucking ran, over to where they were standing, glaring halfheartedly at the heap on the ground. “Whoever threw a ball at my kid is going to fucking suffer—“

“Nobody hit him, Taako, he just collapsed.” Magnus said, watching as Taako dropped down to his knees. Jesus, these tights were _so_ getting grass stains.

“What do you mean he just collapsed? What the fuck happened?” Taako demanded, worry masked by anger seeping into his voice. Angus’ eyes were closed, but his face was scrunched up, and his hair was plastered to his face with sweat. Carefully, Taako lifted Angus up into his lap, cursing under his breath. “Gods, he’s fucking burning up.” He muttered, making quick work of wrangling him out of his sweater vest and untying the bowtie around his neck. “Ango? Hey, Angus, pumpkin, open your eyes.” He said, keeping his voice as firm as he could manage.

Lup and Magnus were both kneeling next to him, everyone else waiting a few paces away. Angus’ eyes fluttered, his eyebrows drawn, his gaze glassy. “W-what? What’s going on?” His voice was croaky and his focus was far away, but Taako felt the anxiety in his chest unfurl slightly. He pulled Angus closer into his arms and squeezed, tightly.

“Fuck, kid, you scared the _shit_ out of me, what the hell?” Taako demanded, his voice muffled into his hair.

“I-I’m sorry, I just… I got a little dizzy, I guess I just…” Angus’ voice hitched, and Taako squeezed him tighter. “I didn’t mean to, to scare you…” He whispered.

Taako exhaled slowly, pulling back slightly and resting a hand against Angus’ cheek. “Okay, it’s okay. Don’t get worked up, you just… spooked me a little, yeah? Got ol’ Taako good.” He said, squeezing his arm.

“No tears, little dude, just relax. You could bake a cake on that forehead.” Lup said, fingers drifting across Angus’ face. “I think we need to get you out of here, huh?”

Angus looked like he was about to cry, but he nodded anyways, fingers curling into Taako’s shirt. Taako took that as initiative, standing carefully and hoisting Angus up on his hip. “Alright, bubula, hold on.” He muttered, squeezing him gently and giving him a second to get comfortable before he started walking.

Kravitz stood off in the shade, handing Taako his bag and kissing his cheek, soft and sincere despite the grimace he wore. “I’ll get all of this cleaned up and bring it to you later.” He said, his gaze worried as he glanced at Angus, who’d hidden his face against Taako’s shoulder and had gone alarmingly silent. “Do you think you’ll need a healer?”

Taako paused for a moment, noting how Angus tightened his grip on his shirt. “Not sure, yet. I’ll let you know. Thanks, Krav, I’ll see you later.” He muttered, kissing Kravitz quickly and carrying Angus toward the car, where Lup was already waiting.

“You better call me once you get this sorted out.” Magnus said, opening to door as Taako carefully stooped down and climbed into the back seat. The AC was blasting already, and Magnus pushed a bottle of water into his free hand as he got settled with Angus in his lap. “I can come by with anything you guys need.”

Taako nodded, carding his fingers through Angus’ hair and letting out a breath. “Yeah. Yeah, will do, Maggie. I’ll let you know.” He said, fingers stalling as Angus’ shoulders hitched with an uneven breath. “We’re gonna get home and get this one back in bed.” He said, giving Angus a squeeze.

“Yeah, okay, cool.” Magnus said. “Feel better, Ango, I’ll see you guys around.”

They received several waves from their crowd of friends as Lup drove off, Taako shifting slightly. “Hey, pumpkin, we’ll be home soon. How’re you holding up?”

Angus didn’t say anything, at first, shaking his head as his shoulders hitched with a hiccup. His breath was hot against Taako’s shoulder, his skin sweaty and clammy. “I’m s-s-sorry, Taako…”

Taako frowned, pulling Angus back just a little to get a good look at his face. “Woah, there. What are you apologizing for?” He lifted a hand to swipe away the tears that were gathering in his glassy eyes.

“F-for ruining our d-day out…” Angus hiccupped, his shoulders trembling with the effort to keep it together. “I just really wanted to… w-wanted to see everyone, and I know you wanted to see Kravitz, so I didn’t want to say that I wasn’t f-feeling well, and I just…”

“Slow down, bubula. It’s okay, it’s all cool.” Taako soothed, stroking along his cheeks. “Breathe, okay? It’s okay. You’re not in trouble.” He promised, trying to keep his voice measured. “Promise, really. You just take it easy for a minute and try to calm down. That’s all you’ve gotta do.”

Angus nodded just slightly as Taako conjured a handkerchief and wiped his face clean. Lup was quiet as she drove, and Angus simply slumped back against Taako’s chest when he couldn’t come up with anything else to say.

When they arrived home, Taako carried Angus inside and up to his room while Lup looted around for human medicine downstairs. Once they got inside of Angus’ room, Taako carefully deposited him on the bed and went to grab some pajamas, helping him get out of his sweat drenched clothes and into something lighter. Angus kept his eyes shut the entire time, too tired it seemed to even keep his head up.

“You are in for some well deserved z’s, Agnes.” Taako joked healfheartedly, tucking back a stray strand of hair and sighing. “And some dope ass soup, when you’re feeling up to it.” He said, trying for a little smile.

Angus nodded slowly, glancing up when Lup entered the room with a glass of water and a tiny cup of some kind of potion. “Alright, little dude, down this shit and you’re good to go.” She said, handing over the littler cup and waiting for him to drink it before handing over the water. “You’ve got a killer fever, there, but Merle said that oughta help with it.” She said, smiling and ruffling his hair gently. “I’ll be downstairs, Taako, if you need anything.” Taako shot her a grateful smile and sat back against the headboard of Angus’ bed, motioning for him to get comfortable.

Once they’d both gotten situated, fitting with practiced ease in the bed, Taako wrapped an arm around Angus and gave him a squeeze. “I’m gonna preface this by saying you’re not in trouble.” He began, fingers curling through Angus’ hair. “But that back there, that’s no good, kay? Fainting, all that—scared the crap out of me, Agnes, and that’s not gonna fly. Next time you’re not feeling good, you gotta speak up, okay?”

Angus nodded against his side, heavy lidded and worn down. “I’m sorry, Taako, I promise I won’t do it again… I just didn’t want to have to stay home when we haven’t seen everyone in so long…” He said, sighing. “I thought maybe it would just go away.”

“No dice there, huh? Like I said, I’m not mad or anything, but you can’t pull that shit again. You’re gonna give ol’ Taako a heart attack. If you’re missing the people, all you’ve gotta do it say so. We can organize more hang times. Capisce?”

“Yes, sir.” Angus said, nodding a little and settling further into Taako’s side. “Sorry you didn’t get to hang out with Kravitz for very long.”

Taako rolled his eyes. “You can make up for it later, kiddo. Just get some sleep, got it? Your croaky voice is pitiful.”

When Lup came up to check on them an hour later, she found Angus passed out in bed, Taakos arms wrapped dutifully around him as he combed his fingers through his hair like it was his job.

“You wanna break from babysitting duty?” She asked in a whisper.

Taako rolled his eyes. “I’ve got this. Do me a favor and call Mags, let him know Ango’s fine. It’s probably just some shitty human cold or something.”

Lup flashed him a thumbs up. “Can do. Barry’s gonna come over in a bit, he’s going to grab some stuff at the store for Angus. I’m raiding your fridge and borrowing your TV. Yell if you need something!”

Taako stuck out his tongue. “I _need_ you to shut up before you wake up my kid. Do whatever you want.”

Lup blew a kiss at him, slipping out of the room just in time to miss the sappy look Taako gave Angus before settling back against the headboard to fulfill his duty as an elven pillow for the rest of the day.


End file.
